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Motability Matters: What Disabled People Told Us and What the Budget Changes Mean
Written by
Georgina, Founder of Purpl
Published on
November 26, 2025
Motability is more than a vehicle scheme — it is a lifeline. With the latest UK Budget announcing reforms to the Motability Scheme, many disabled people want clear, trustworthy information about what really changes and what stays the same.
At Purpl, we wanted to listen first. We asked Motability users what the scheme means in real life, how they choose a vehicle, and how they feel about the reforms. Then we compared those answers with official information from GOV.UK, Motability, the Motability Foundation and HMRC’s policy papers on Motability tax reliefs (VAT and Insurance Premium Tax changes and Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs).
This guide uses information checked on 26 November 2025 and applies to new leases that start after the changes come into force, which HMRC currently plans for 1 July 2026. Policy may change as the Finance Bill passes through Parliament, so you should always double-check details on GOV.UK or Motability before making decisions.
At a Glance
- Motability lets eligible disabled people use part or all of their mobility benefit to lease a car, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), powered wheelchair or scooter.
- The package usually includes insurance, servicing, maintenance, breakdown cover and tyre replacement as part of a single lease payment.
- We surveyed 438 Motability users. Most said the scheme gives them independence, lets them reach medical appointments and improves quality of life.
- The Budget reforms mainly affect top-up (Advance) Payments for higher value vehicles and insurance for non-WAV vehicles. HMRC does not remove VAT or Insurance Premium Tax relief for vehicles designed or substantially and permanently adapted for wheelchair or stretcher users.
- Motability and the Motability Foundation can still provide adaptations and means-tested grants for people who need specific vehicles or adaptations but cannot afford the upfront cost.
In this Article
- Motability Matters: What Disabled People Told Us
- What Motability Means to Disabled People
- How Disabled People Choose Their Vehicle
- Accessibility Features That Matter Most
- Concerns About Reduced Vehicle Choice
- Budget 2025: What’s Changing for Motability?
- Tips and Insights About Motability
- Final Thoughts
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Motability Matters: What Disabled People Told Us
We surveyed 438 Motability users and asked them what the scheme means in daily life, how they choose a vehicle and how they feel about the Budget changes. The answers show just how deeply Motability links to independence, safety and basic access to healthcare.
Survey methodology in brief: Purpl ran an online survey with 438 Motability users in the UK. Recruitment took place through our community and social channels. Percentages in this article refer to the people who answered each specific question, so totals sometimes differ between questions. The survey does not represent every Motability user, but it gives a strong snapshot of lived experience.
What Motability Means to Disabled People
Almost three-quarters of respondents answered the question “What does Motability mean to you?”. Their answers followed a clear pattern:
- Independence and freedom: 78% said the scheme gives them independence and freedom.
- Access to essential services: 63% rely on their vehicle to attend medical appointments or essential services such as hospital care, GP visits or regular therapies.
- Quality of life: 41% said Motability improves their quality of life.
- Safety and reliability: 29% highlighted the safety and reliability that the scheme offers compared with older or unsuitable cars.
One respondent summed it up simply:
“Motability gives me the freedom to get out, attend appointments, and live my life with dignity.”
Purpl Tip: Independence goes beyond travel. When you prepare evidence for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP), keep a simple record of how your vehicle supports medical access, day-to-day living and community participation. These examples link directly to the daily living and mobility activities that DWP and Social Security Scotland look at.
How Disabled People Choose Their Vehicle
When we asked why people chose their current Motability car, three themes came up again and again:
- Mobility and accessibility needs: 70% chose a vehicle because it met specific mobility or accessibility needs.
- Reliability and safety: 26.3% put reliability and safety at the top of their list.
- Low or no Advance Payment: 26% said a low or zero Advance Payment shaped their decision.
Respondents most often mentioned brands such as Ford, Nissan, Kia, Vauxhall, Hyundai, Peugeot, Skoda and Volvo. They described these as dependable, practical and suitable for a wide range of needs.
Accessibility Features That Matter Most
Accessibility never feels like a “nice-to-have” for Motability users. It feels essential. When we asked which features matter most:
- Ease of getting in and out: 69% focused on how easy it feels to get into and out of the vehicle.
- High driving position: 56.6% said a higher driving position supports comfort and pain relief.
- Boot space: 46.3% relied on large boot space for equipment, shopping or medical supplies.
- Room for aids and equipment: 45.3% needed room for wheelchairs, walkers, scooters or oxygen equipment.
These needs explain why restrictions on vehicle choice can hit disabled people harder than the general population. If a car does not fit the person, the mobility aids or the adaptations, it simply does not work.
Purpl Tip: Check access specs before you travel. Before you book a test drive, check door height, sill depth, seat height and boot opening dimensions online or with the dealer. That quick check can save energy, pain and wasted journeys.
Concerns About Reduced Vehicle Choice
We also asked how people feel about a potential reduction in choice on the Motability Scheme. Responses looked like this:
- Depends on how much choice remains: 66.3% said the impact depends on how much choice stays on the scheme.
- Might leave the scheme: 20.8% said reduced choice would affect their decision to stay on Motability at all.
- No impact: 12.9% felt the changes would not affect them personally.
In written comments, many people said that a narrower car list could make the scheme unworkable for some, especially anyone who needs specific adaptations, larger vehicles, or space for equipment and family members.
Georgina, Founder of Purpl, says:
“These findings show just how essential Motability feels to disabled people across the UK. Independence, safety and the ability to attend vital appointments all depend on having the right vehicle. Any changes that reduce car choice risk leaving people isolated, anxious and unable to manage everyday life.”
Budget 2025: What’s Changing for Motability?
The UK Government announced several reforms to tax reliefs for Motability and other qualifying schemes in Budget 2025. HMRC set out the details in its policy note VAT and Insurance Premium Tax: change to reliefs for qualifying motor vehicle leasing schemes and the associated note Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs.
Here is what those changes mean in plain language for most Motability users.
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) stay protected in tax rules
HMRC keeps the current VAT and Insurance Premium Tax reliefs for:
- Vehicles that designers built for wheelchair or stretcher users, and
- Vehicles that installers substantially and permanently adapt for wheelchair or stretcher users.
Top-up (Advance) Payments for these vehicles stay zero-rated for VAT, and their insurance keeps its exemption from Insurance Premium Tax.
This protection does not guarantee that every specific WAV model, such as a particular van or conversion, will stay on the scheme. Motability Operations and manufacturers still decide which models appear on the price list. However, the tax changes do not target WAV users.
VAT on top-up (Advance) Payments for higher value vehicles
At the moment, many Motability customers pay a top-up or Advance Payment if they want a higher value or more highly specified vehicle. Budget 2025 changes the VAT treatment of those payments.
- The part of the lease that your qualifying mobility benefit covers still sits outside VAT in the same way as before.
- HMRC now charges 20% VAT on top-up (Advance) Payments where someone chooses a higher value vehicle.
- Top-up Payments for vehicles designed for, or permanently adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users stay zero-rated for VAT.
In practice, if you choose a standard car that does not need any top-up, you may not see a direct VAT change on your side. If you choose a more expensive car that needs a top-up, you may see a higher Advance Payment because of the added VAT on that top-up amount.
Insurance Premium Tax on most Motability insurance
Motability leases include insurance as part of the package. Under the new rules:
- Insurance for most standard Motability cars and vehicles now attracts Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) at 12%.
- Insurance for vehicles designed for, or permanently adapted for, wheelchair or stretcher users keeps its current exemption from IPT.
Motability decides how to reflect this in its pricing. Some people may see a higher Advance Payment, a different choice of cars at different price points or changes to how Motability structures lease prices overall.
Fewer premium and luxury brands on the scheme
For several years, critics have argued that taxpayers should not subsidise luxury cars through the Motability Scheme. Around the time of Budget 2025, Motability and the Government confirmed that the scheme will focus more on mainstream, good value vehicles.
Media reports show that the scheme has already removed brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus and Alfa Romeo from the car list. These moves sit alongside the tax changes and aim to keep support focused on essential, good value vehicles rather than high-end models.
The exact list of makes and models still comes from Motability and manufacturers. The Budget and HMRC papers set the tax rules; Motability then decides how to shape the range within those rules.
When the changes start
HMRC currently plans to bring these changes in for new leases that start on or after 1 July 2026. If you already have a Motability lease, the current terms stay in place until you change your vehicle, unless Motability and your lease agreement say otherwise.
Purpl Tip: Check official sources before you decide. Before you order your next vehicle, check the latest scheme details on the Motability website and the latest rules on GOV.UK. Policy and pricing can change between Budgets and renewals.
Tips and Insights About Motability
Many people still do not realise how much support Motability and the Motability Foundation can offer, especially around adaptations and grants.
Ask about adaptations before you order
Motability and its installers can fit a wide range of adaptations. These can include:
- Hand controls and alternative steering aids
- Swivel seats or transfer plates
- Roof hoists and boot hoists for wheelchairs or scooters
- Pedal modifications
- Storage solutions in the boot or cabin for mobility aids or medical equipment
Motability explains on its adaptations pages that many common adaptations come at no extra cost when you add them at the start of the lease. More complex or bespoke adaptations sometimes require a payment.
Purpl Tip: Talk to an adaptations specialist early. Ask your dealer and the Motability adaptations team to talk through your access needs before you order. They can explain which cars and adaptations work together, so you do not end up with a vehicle that cannot take the equipment you rely on.
Grants for Advance Payments and Adaptations
The Motability Foundation runs several grant programmes. These grants help with:
- Advance Payments for cars and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs)
- Adaptations for drivers and passengers
- Other essential mobility solutions where cost acts as a barrier
These grants use a means-tested system. The Foundation looks at your finances and your mobility needs, then decides whether it can help and at what level. The aim is to make sure grants support people who need a specific solution for disability-related reasons and cannot afford it without help.
You can apply for a grant before you order your vehicle. Staff will ask about your medical situation, how you use your vehicle and why you need a particular car or adaptation. They also ask for details about your income and outgoings.
Purpl Tip: Apply early and explain your real needs. Grant applications can take several weeks. Apply before you commit to a car, and explain why cheaper options do not meet your needs. Show how a particular body style, boot size, door height or adaptation links to your condition, pain levels or safety.
Final Thoughts
Motability does not just provide transport. It supports independence, safety, dignity and access to essential services. Our survey of 438 Motability users shows that the scheme underpins medical care, social contact and everyday life for thousands of disabled people.
Budget 2025 and the HMRC policy papers introduce real changes, especially around VAT on top-up (Advance) Payments for higher value vehicles and Insurance Premium Tax on most Motability insurance. At the same time, the Government keeps reliefs for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and vehicles designed or permanently adapted for wheelchair or stretcher users.
As these changes move towards their planned start date for new leases in July 2026, Purpl will continue to:
- Listen to disabled people and share their experiences
- Explain complex policy changes in clear, plain language
- Signpost to official sources such as GOV.UK, Motability and the Motability Foundation
- Help the community save on everyday costs through verified disability discounts
Purpl Tip: Keep notes and keep asking questions. Keep a simple notebook or phone log of how you use your vehicle and what you spend on disability-related costs. Use it when you talk to DWP, Motability, your dealer or the Motability Foundation. Always ask what support and adaptations exist — more options often exist than people realise.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Motability
Does Motability pay for adaptations?
Motability includes many essential adaptations at no extra cost when you add them at the start of your lease. Examples include some hand controls, steering aids and basic hoists. More complex or bespoke adaptations sometimes need an extra payment or a grant from the Motability Foundation.
You can read more on the official Motability adaptations pages: Motability adaptations.
Are Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles affected by the Budget changes?
The Budget and HMRC policy papers keep VAT and Insurance Premium Tax reliefs for vehicles that designers built for wheelchair or stretcher users or that installers substantially and permanently adapt for that use. Top-up (Advance) Payments for these vehicles stay zero-rated for VAT, and their insurance stays exempt from IPT under the current plans.
Motability and manufacturers still decide which specific WAV models appear on the scheme, so the exact line-up can change over time. However, the tax changes do not directly target WAV users.
Will the Budget changes increase my Advance Payment?
The answer depends on the vehicle you choose and how Motability decides to structure prices.
- If you pick a higher value vehicle that needs a top-up (Advance) Payment, you may see a higher amount because HMRC now charges 20% VAT on that top-up for most non-WAV vehicles.
- If you choose a vehicle that does not need any top-up, you may see little or no direct impact from the VAT change, although Motability may still adjust the overall price list.
- If you choose a WAV or vehicle designed or adapted for wheelchair or stretcher use, top-up Payments and insurance keep their current reliefs under the new rules.
Can reduced vehicle choice affect disabled people?
Yes. Many disabled people rely on specific body styles, sizes and layouts to stay safe and independent. Reduced choice can:
- Limit options for people who need larger vehicles, extra seating or space for equipment
- Make it harder to find cars that work with particular adaptations
- Increase stress for people who already face complex daily barriers
Our survey shows that two in ten respondents would think about leaving the scheme if Motability removes too many suitable vehicles.
About the Author
Georgina is the founder of Purpl, a platform dedicated to helping disabled people save money through exclusive discounts. Living with both Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and ADHD, she understands firsthand the financial challenges that often come with managing a disability. Because of this, her mission is to collaborate with brands to secure discounts that help ease the cost of essential products, services, and everyday expenses for the disabled community.
As an ambulatory wheelchair user, Georgina also knows how it feels to lose a sense of independence due to a disability. For that reason, she’s deeply passionate about using holistic therapies and diet to manage inflammation and stay as healthy as possible. Ultimately, her goal is to make Purpl a trusted, go-to resource for disabled people — one that provides not only discounts but also practical advice, emotional support, and genuine financial relief.
Beyond Purpl, Georgina has a long-term vision to launch a foundation that will offer grants and funding for disabled people who need additional financial support. Through this, she hopes to create lasting change, empowering others to live with dignity, confidence, and choice.
Follow @Purpldiscounts on social media for the latest disability discounts, financial advice, and accessibility resources.
Other articles, or links, you might find useful:
Motability in the UK: A Comprehensive Guide
Motability Changes 2025: The Real Facts Behind the Headlines
Motability Scheme Eligibility: How to Qualify for a Disability Car in the UK
How to Save Money if you Live with a Disability in the UK
